


Fledgling

by wolfraven80



Category: Magical Diary (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, Pre-OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-28 22:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16731933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfraven80/pseuds/wolfraven80
Summary: A Green Magic exam might not seem like the best way to spend a Saturday morning, but sometimes even the strangest things can bring people together.





	Fledgling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arbarkati](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arbarkati/gifts).



> A/N: I've never written OT3 before so I wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. So I wrote something that I think can be qualified as pre-OT3 fluff. Hope you enjoy it!

**Fledgling**

 

Virginia stretches her arms over her head even as her jaws open up in a cavernous yawn. "Man. I can't believe we had to get up so early on a Saturday."

            Ellen shoots her a scathing look. "Early? You slept in forty-five minutes later than us." It's true. Ellen and I had breakfast in the cafeteria and had to come back to get Virginia out of bed before she could make us late.

            I walk between them, the three of us filling the empty  hallways, the echoing ring of our footfalls mingling together in the early-morning stillness. Ellen looks ready to tackle any problem. Virginia looks ready to nod off again.

            "If I'd known this was scheduled for Saturday morning I'd have..." She trails off as her face splits open into another yawn.

            "You'd have what?" Ellen says. "Not come?"

            Virginia snorts. "Of course I'd come, but I'd have asked for an IOU or something. It's not like I care about the extra credit."

            I hook my arms through theirs, linking us all together, and tug them a little closer. "I owe both of you. Thanks for helping me with this." Ellen looks a little flushed and Virginia bumps her shoulder into mine. We stay like that until we reach the door to the usual room we assemble in for exams.

            Virginia steps forward and, pausing in the doorway, heaves a sigh. "Time to face the music. Or the monsters. At least blasting monsters would be fun."

            "I don't think it's going to be that kind of exam," I tell her. She groans. Standing behind her, I put my hands on her shoulders and let them rest there for a second before giving her a little shove through the door. "Get in there." Her shoulders are slim and firm and she radiates heat all year round. I can't help but find excuses to cuddle up close to her.

            Ellen doesn't need and encouragement; she's at her best, eager and determined. She strides through the doorway into the exam room. I hover outside for a second, smiling at them both, polar opposites. Counterweights.

            I step into the room and moments later we're transported to the exam dungeon. At least I think it's the same dungeon. Instead of the drab stone walls and low ceiling, it looks like we've been dropped into a dense jungle. Stands of trees, tangled in vines, wall us in, twisted branches forming a dense canopy overhead. Bright splashes of sunlight filter through in thin shafts. Twigs crunch under our shoes.

            Virginia peers around, brow furrowed. "This isn't what I expected."

            Ellen is already murmuring a spell. She nods to herself and then turns to glance at us. "It's an illusion created by Blue Magic. An elaborate one."

            I reach into my robes and pull out my notebook. The assignment has appeared there. "Find what doesn't belong and set it free without touching it."

            Virginia snorts. "Vague much?"

            The extra credit is for my Green alchemy class. I've been focussing on Green this year and how to use it alongside the other types. Second year classes have been way more challenging than first year. Which I guess I should've expected. But it means more to me this year. It isn't just 'oh hey magic is shiny and new and amazing'. My eyes dart between my two roommates. Everything means more this year.

            Ellen rolls up her sleeves, ready to tackle this puzzle like a defensive lineman in a football match. But more smart and cool and less sweaty and hairy. I stand up straighter, certain we can figure this out together. "I'm going to set up some search spells," Ellen says. "Maybe you two could take a look around while I'm doing that?"

            Virginia grins and flashes a mock salute. "Yes, Captain." Ellen wrinkles her nose but otherwise ignores the comment.

            "Come on," I say, snagging Virginia's arm. "Don't distract her." And together we set off down the jungle path.

 

#

 

As we walk, I keep scanning our surroundings for other paths or for anything that sticks out, that might be part of the puzzle we need to figure out for this project. Mostly I just see plants. Ferns the size of extra large pizzas, tree trunks covered in moss so thick it's like a wool sweater, thorny vines like vicious barbed wire. At least there aren't any bugs–the illusion's not _that_ detailed, thanks goodness!           

            A pace ahead of me, Virginia pauses to slash through tangles of brush and vines with Red Magic. "I was really hoping for some monsters to blast, not just plants."

            "Isn't that what you do all the time in Advanced Red Magic?"

            She shrugs, but she's grinning. "Well not _all_ the time." We keep walking through the conquered vines. "A little Red Magic class might be good for you guys, though. You're spending way too much time hitting the books."

            I huff. "Wait, remind me who scored the winning goal in that game of force ball last week?"

            "You," she says, "but only because someone shot you a perfect pass." She raises her fist and we bump knuckles and laugh. But her expression clouds over then and she wrinkles her nose. "So I guess I really meant Ellen."

            A gnarled branch snatches at my hair and I bat it away. "Ellen?"

            She doesn't look at me. "Can you try to get her to come to Sports Club at least?"

            I put a hand on Virginia's arm to stop her. "What's this about?"

            Her mouth opens but then snaps shut. She glances around and then casts a spell. A Communication spell I realize when her next words clatter around in my brain like a telepathic megaphone.

            _'I KNOW ABOUT–'_

_'Stop shouting! You're going to give me a headache.'_

_'SORRY.'_

            I glare at her. I get that she wants to say something without the exam monitor hearing but _owwww_.

            _'Sorry. I hardly ever use this spell. It feels... kinda weird to have someone talking in my head.'_

            I roll my eyes. _'Imagine someone SHOUTING.'_

            She winces. _'Gotcha.'_

            _'Okay,'_ I try again, _'so what's this about?'_

            _'I know Ellen hasn't given up on studying magic,'_ she says, hands on her hips. _'She needs to at least pretend to have other interests before Grabby catches on and she gets herself expelled and...'_

            And gets her memory zapped. Virginia doesn't have to say it. We don't need telepathy for both of us to understand. I reach out and squeeze her arm. _'It's okay. She's found a way to do it without breaking any rules.'_ Virginia's lips press together, like she's trying to hold her words in, even though we're having this entire discussion in our heads. _'And I'm keeping an eye on her. I promise I won't let her do anything dangerous.'_

_'Promise?'_

            I nod. _'Promise.'_

            Her shoulders slump and she lets out a long breath. _'Okay. Good. Cuz I...'_ Her eyes dart towards me and then away just as quickly. _'I don't know what I'd do if you both got expelled.'_

            _'You'd get the whole room to yourself.'_

            She laughs. "Well that's one silver lining I guess," she says out loud.

            I start walking again and Virginia falls into step next to me, pushing past clumps of ferns. "I'll try to get Ellen to come to Sports Club again. We can always use another Horse on our team."

            Virginia smiles and nods. "Horse girls gotta stick together."

            After another minute of walking we come to a halt at the edge of a ravine, its steep rocky sides plunging far below. A fallen tree lies across the gap, the curve of huge branches forming narrow, winding passages to the other side. "Now things get exciting," Virginia announces as she hops up onto the base of the tree. "Don't look down," she says with a wink–just before she does exactly that!

            I groan. I could use Green magic to boost my strength and leap the ravine. But since I still don't know what the actual test will be I decide to save my magical resources for later. I take a deep breath and step up onto the tree behind Virginia, moss squelching under my shoes. We take slow steps forward. By the time we're halfway across I start to reconsider my life choices. I should've boosted and jumped.

            Virginia reaches the other side and turns to grin at me–just as my foot slides on a slick spot of moss. I waver, arms flailing–and then a hand snags my arm, yanking me forward. I stumble into Virginia with all the grace of a drunken moose. She steadies me, her long dark fingers clasped around mine, holding tight. "Thanks," I mutter even as I can feel the blood running into my cheeks.

            Her fingers give mine a squeeze. "See what happens when you don't spend enough time in gym class?"

            "Noted!" I say with a grin. But as we move ahead, she doesn't let go of my hand.

            Just beyond the ravine, the ground dips a bit and the trees thin out. A brilliant beam of sunlight streams down through the foliage to form a perfect golden circle on the mossy ground. Above is a patch of clear blue sky.

            This is probably the focal point of the assignment. But we still don't know what it is we're supposed to find.

            We try a few detection spells but there's nothing unusual here. "Let's head back and see if Ellen's found anything," I say

            Virginia nods. "Right." She glances over her shoulder towards the ravine and then back at me, eyebrows raised. "Should I give you a piggyback ride just to be safe?"

            I grimace. "I'm going to power up and jump this time." I squeeze her hand. "Let's go."

 

#

"What took you?" Ellen asks when we get back to her.

            Virginia motions back the way we came. "There's a bunch of brush along the path and a giant pit."

            "I'm pretty sure that's where we need to go, though," I add. "Did you find anything?"

            Ellen nods. She leads us down one of the paths, through lush ferns and over fallen tree trunks until we stop at a bare patch of soil. Sitting on the soil is something that looks like the little helicopter pods that come off of maple trees except that it's a brilliant snowy white. "I was confused at first," Ellen says, "when I cast Find Spirits and it led me here. But then I remembered this is a Green Alchemy class."

            Virginia peers at her. "So?"

            "So..." Ellen looks to me and holds her hand out, as if asking me to continue.

            I look from her to the bulb and back again. But then it clicks. "Of course. It's a nature spirit. A dryad fledgling, I bet. That's why the assignment says we can't touch it. It _looks_ like a plant, but it's really a spirit."

            Virginia makes a face like she's bitten into a lemon. "Your Green tests are way too complicated. In Advanced Red we just need to be able to blow up bigger and bigger stuff."

            Rolling her eyes Ellen turns her attention from Virginia to me. "Do you know what you need to do?"

            I nod. "I think so. We can feed it mana to wake it up, but it needs sunlight so I think we have to get it back aboveground where it can grow."

            "Which means back across that ravine," Virginia says. "That's going to be tricky if you're going to–what? Carry it?"

            My brow scrunches up as I try to think this through. "But it's a spirit so I can't touch it or teleport it."

            "But it's a _nature_ spirit," Ellen says, "so it should respond to the elements. You could probably use a tightly controlled breeze to move it."

            Tightly controlled. Understatement. One mistake and I'll send the little helicopter flying who-knows-where. And the ravine... A groan pours out of me. Giving up here and now is a serious temptation. After all, this isn't the kind of Green Magic I wanted to learn. Becoming a  magical park ranger isn't really my goal here.

            Virginia straightens up. "I'm going to go on ahead and try to clear all the brush from the path. You won't have to worry about tripping while you juggle your baby dryad."

            Ellen's lips quirk. "And you get to hack and slash to your heart's content?"

            "It's a win-win," Virginia says, grinning. She sets off and moments later I can hear the zing of Red Magic being thrown around.

            "Well at least she's having fun," Ellen says with a shake of her head.

            "Let's give her a few minutes' head start. Then I'll try to balance this little spirit."

            Ellen waits for the sound of slashing magic to fade before she speaks again. "I know why you're taking so much Green Magic this year. It's not because you like plants." Her arms are crossed and she's giving me a serious look as if daring me to disagree.

            Green Magic, the magic of living things, the magic of healing. Even though William told us not worry and that Virginia isn't delicate... I still remember how warm her skin was that day, how sick she was, just from a little bug. Virginia may worry about Ellen and me getting ourselves expelled, but what I worry about is way worse than that. I know I can protect Ellen, but I need to learn more to be able to do the same for Virginia.

            "I just... want to be able to help her if something happens." I can feel my face flushing again. "Don't tell her. She'd be furious if she thought I was coddling her."

            Ellen's expression softens. "Don't worry so much. It's normal to want to protect... the people you love." She steps closer. "Between the two of us I'm sure we can keep her in one piece. And," she adds with a curt nod, "she doesn't need to know a thing about it."

            Relief washes over me and I throw my arms around Ellen and give her a monster hug. "Thank you!"

             Her face is scarlet when I let her go. She adjusts her robes and clears her throat. "We should probably get started."

            I nod, but I'm still smiling. "Right." Turning to the fledgling dryad, I take a long, deep breath. 'Breeze' is the simplest Red Magic spell so it should be–well–a breeze. But what makes it tricky is that I need to make it continuous and stable. I couldn't have done it as a first year. Hopefully I've got better control now, but I guess we'll find out.

            I crouch next to the white helicopter pod and cast the spell. I focus tightly, and then slowly, _slowly_ , the pod begins to drift upward until I have it hovering over my left hand. I stand, still holding onto the spell, keeping the pod hovering in the air.

            Ellen takes my right hand and places it on her shoulder. "I'll lead. You focus on controlling the spell."

            Eyes fixed on the dryad, I nod. "Okay." And then I let Ellen lead me down the jungle path that Virginia has carved out for us.

 

#

 

Ellen's steps are slow and even–easy to follow–and there's not a single branch or vine left in my path thanks to Virginia. Everything goes smoothly until we reach the ravine.

            The ravine. My palms break out in a sweat. Is the gap just a trick projected by Blue Magic? Or is there a real pit like the one in my first-year magical exam? Is it an illusion or a death trap?

            My wind spell falters. The white helicopter veers to the right and an embarrassing little yelp escapes me as I try to correct the dryad's course. "How am I supposed to balance this _and_ get across?"

            Ellen's voice is calm and collected–just like always. "It's all right. I've already figured that part out. I'll cast Traction and we can lead you across."

            Eyes fixed on the dryad, I nod. I learned Traction this year in Green Alchemy. It's a mix of Green and Black and gives you traction when you're in contact with plants. It's usually used to help climb trees but it makes perfect sense to use it here.

            I take a deep breath. "Okay. I'm ready."

            Ellen casts the spell and we get ready to move. Virginia takes the lead and I rest my free hand on her shoulder. Close behind, Ellen has my back, ready to cast a spell and save the day at a  moment's notice. Together, we step onto the mossy tree and make our way across the precipice.

            We take step after steady step, in our little conga line, like a caterpillar squirming along a log. Unlike the first time, my feet don't slide. The moss doesn't feel slick. It's more like velcro, clinging to the bottom of my shoes. But all my focus is on the little dryad in its pod and keeping it airborne, so I have to trust Virginia and Ellen to lead me over the twisting path of the fallen tree.

            It's a surprise when Virginia says, "Watch your step, we're on the other side." She turns and, taking my hand in hers, guides me down onto solid ground.

            Relief makes my whole body sag and a sigh pours out of me like air draining from a balloon. We made it. I don't have to find out whether or not it's a real pit! I just manage to keep my little dryad in the air long enough to wander over to the circular patch of sunlight. Holding the dryad in the sunlight, I gradually let the Wind spell drop and the little propeller lazily drifts down and settles in the very centre of the circle.

            "Perfect," Ellen says with a nod. She looks pleased and even though I'm dog tried after the strain of spell control, a swell of pride rolls through me.

            "What now?" Virginia asks as she stares down at the little white seed pod.

            "We need to feed it mana," I say. "That should help it sprout and hopefully finish up the assignment."

            "Let's finish then!" Virginia says, suddenly enthusiastic.

            Ellen raises an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. "I thought you didn't care about the extra credit?"

            Virginia grins back at her. "We might still be able to catch one of the shuttles to the mall. We totally deserve a huge sundae after this!"

            Ellen rolls her eyes. "Some of us just had breakfast." She turns back to me before Virginia can reply. "How are your mana levels?"

            My brow scrunches up. "Okay. I used a little earlier and then some on the Wind spell. I'm not sure how much we need for the dryad."

            Ellen nods. "I suspect that it will be more than any one of has by ourselves. It _is_ a three-person assignment after all."

            "So we have to share our mana?" Virginia asks.

            "That's right," Ellen says. "We pool our magic and then," she continues, turning to look at me, "you can feed it to the dryad."

            I look from Ellen to Virginia and back again. "Me? But you've got more mana to begin with. And better spell control. And..." But they're already taking position on either side of me.

            "The spell needs to be balanced," Ellen says. "It has to be you."

            I frown. "But..."

            Virginia has one of her big ol' grins on her face. "You're the centre of this team."

            Ellen nods and when she looks at me, her expression is serious but also gentle somehow. "You're our fulcrum."

            Ellen stands to my left and Virginia to my right. Almost in synch, they each reach out to take my hands. And then they join hands themselves so that we form a circle around the golden beam of sunlight. I take a deep breath to prepare and then I cast spell. "Share Life!"

            Instantly, I can feel their mana flowing into me. Virginia's is hot, fizzing, almost prickly, like the magical equivalent of Tabasco sauce. Ellen's is cooler, more even, flowing with perfect, steady rhythm. I let them both in, let the magic steam and simmer until it reaches a balancing point and then I cast the spell again, directing it to the little seed pod in the sunlight.

            The pod lifts from the ground as if on a breeze. It spins in the air lazily at first but then faster, whirling and whirling, gaining altitude. Green tendrils sprout from the seeds like little arms and legs. The little dryad, poking out of its pod for the first time, spins and dances in the sunbeam, rising high above our heads until it reaches that perfect patch of blue sky... and flies free of the jungle and into the sunlight.

            The illusion fades, the jungle melting into the drab, grey walls of the exam dungeons. But the hole in the ceiling is still there, the blue sky still above us, and golden sunlight pours through it into the room.

            I'm still holding Ellen's and Virginia's hands, squeezing their fingertips tightly and I can feel something between us, a fluttering, warm, delicate _something_. Like a fledgling still hiding in its pod. They're both looking at me, smiling, and the warmth in my dear friends' faces makes me certain... With a little time to learn, time to grow, that fledgling will take flight.

 

**The End**


End file.
